The invention relates to an automatic central buffer coupling plate for vehicles, particularly railroad vehicles, comprising a cone projecting from the impact surface, and a funnel for receiving the cone of an opposite coupling plate, with the funnel and the cone being uniformly spaced from the vertical median plane passing through the housing of a coupling head, and having a circular surface.
In known coupling plates of this kind, a surface is provided on the inside of the cone giving the coupling plate a lateral range of engagement in one direction, so that if the couplings having these plates are laterally offset during the coupling operation, the misalignment is corrected by the funnel. At the funnel side, a guide horn is provided on the impact surface, serving the purpose of laterally aligning the couplings in the other direction and of aligning the coupling in height. This guide horn projects from the impact surface like a spear so that, for reasons of safety, it is no longer permissible in couplings intended for street cars.
The invention is directed to a specific design of the funnel and the cone providing a range of engagement corresponding in height and laterally at least to that of the prior art.
In accordance with the invention, this problem is solved by providing that the surface on the inside of the cone terminates at the tip of the cone in a convex portion and that the funnel is designed with an inwardly inclined chamfer which, as viewed in a top plan view, has the configuration of a square whose sides are tangent to the funnel.